Elastic Bond
by ShibaOokami
Summary: Kiba and Hinata forged a bond so unbreakable, that no one could come close to severing it. It all started because of the secret skill Kiba learned from his sister, Hana. The secret he decided to show only to Hinata. This story is how it all began. One-shot.


**_Hey-o! Well, well. Here I am. Not focusing on my other stories and doing a random one-shot that popped into my head while looking at pictures of one of my favorite crack couples. Oh well, hope it's good enough that you guys like it. Here we go!_**

Kiba didn't know when it started but when his teammate Hinata started to grow her hair out, he would find himself helping her put it up. It was during the time Naruto had left with Jiraiya for training when her hair changed from her boyish bob to just barely past her shoulders. She arrived earlier to their team training, like always, and he noticed her kneeled on the ground while fiddling with her hair. Akamaru yipped happily when he noticed his favorite teammate and made her jump up, her face turning red when she faced them.

"K-Kiba-kun! You're e-early!"

Kiba grabbed Akamaru from on top of his head and set him down before cracking his neck. His partner was starting to get too big. "Well, Akamaru and I were itching for practice today and couldn't resist." He walked over and frowned at her, one of his canines poking out. "What's going on with your hair?"

Hinata turned even a deeper red as she grabbed the ends of her hair trying to cover her face. "It's n-n-nothing!"

Kiba noticed something orange wrapped around her fingers and figured out it was an elastic band. Before Hinata could stop him, he grabbed it and inspected it in his open palm. It didn't take long to put two and two together and he scoffed. "Are you having trouble putting your hair up?"

Hinata twiddled with her forefingers and ducked her head, trying to avoid his dark eyes that turned to thinner slits whenever he was curious. "I'm not u-used to having m-my hair this long."

Kiba was about to ask why she didn't get assistance from her sister but remembered how rocky that relationship was and knew better than to open his mouth. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, making his grey hood fall down and revealing his shaggy chocolate hair. He looked around to confirm that neither his sensei nor Shino were around before deciding what must be done. "Don't move." He put the elastic band on his wrist and moved so close to Hinata that she could smell his natural scent of pine trees and jerky. He knew this too by the way her nose made a quiet sniff that only his trained ears could hear. He hoped that his scent didn't bother her because for him, her scent was heavenly. It was a combination of earl grey tea and lavender which had to be the most calming scent in all of history and he knows every Inuzuka would beg to have her around just for the sake of the soothing effect her smell has.

"Kiba?"

She rarely called his name without the honorific and it usually happened with situations she was so stunned by that any politeness was forced away with another force that was keeping her from fainting. She had spent enough time with Kiba and his antics that by this point she could get close with him without fainting by the fact he was a male. Although, this particular closeness was really pushing her limit. His chest was so close that her nose almost touched it and she could hear the touching of fabric as his arms went above her shoulders and his hands grabbing onto her hair gently. He hummed a little which was a normal tick of his whenever he was relaxed and thinking. She figured out soon enough what he was doing as she felt her hair get bunched up and it stayed that way when Kiba moved back and admired his handiwork. She stared at him with open-mouthed astonishment and moved a hand back to feel the tiny ponytail brushing the back of her neck. It wasn't tight so she knew she wouldn't get a headache and it wasn't loose enough that any hair would fall out during training. It was almost like he had done it many times before but looking at his hair now she couldn't figure out how he has dealt with longer hair.

"Don't tell anyone," he began while looking away from her, "but Hana always says it's easier if someone else does it and since our Ma is typically gone half the time, I was the best candidate for it."

Hinata nodded at his explanation and hoped to relieve any tension he started to form as his body went stiff. "K-Kiba-kun...thank you."

"Hm." He went over to Akamaru who had been sitting in patience a couple feet away and it worried Hinata that things were going to be awkward. "Well, if you really want to thank me, then let's start a warm-up together." His smile to her was all she needed as she nodded her head with a smile and ran over to the duo. That was the first of many days of him trying to show her how to handle her hair but for some reason she could never get the hang of it. He assumed it was because it was still too short for her to do it on her own so he found himself falling into a routine of arriving early to meet with her and she would hold out that orange elastic band to him.

Even though secretly he enjoyed the little moment of intimacy between them, he was very open with his disgust of the color orange. For one thing, it never matched with anything she wore and that was practically rule number one for women; something his sister would repeatedly mention to him. Another fact was that it was very obvious it was a little connection to Hinata's crush Naruto and his god awful jumpsuit. When he pointed that out to her one day, he had to catch her before she fell and hit her head on the harsh ground. Kiba wasn't an idiot and when he realized that it wasn't anger he was feeling whenever he saw the orange color but jealousy, he knew that those few moments before training were going to be the best moments and also the worst of his life.

**...…...**

At sixteen years old, Kiba had gained more confidence than the average and was never one to hold back. He was an open book for all to see and people knew who he was and what he could do. Even still, he remained quiet about one thing in his life that was private and it would surprise everyone how well he could keep a secret about himself. He was a Chunin along with his teammates and despite all the time they have spent together, neither one knew this secret of his. Only his companion of giant white mass knew what it was and that was because he had told him one night in desperation of needing to talk with someone; even if that someone was his dog. The world would probably explode if it got out so it was logical that he would keep it under lock and key forever, while it slowly killed him emotionally.

"Kiba."

The sound of her voice was something he could hear from the farthest of distances regardless of how quiet she actually was. Underlying the nervousness of her tone was something strong and passionate and he prayed that he was the only one who knew of that hidden talent. He looked down at the trunk of the tree he was leaning against and saw her in her purple and grey jacket that was at least a size too big and petting Akamaru affectionately while looking up at him with her friendly smile. He smiled back at Hinata while his heart swelled up at the fact that his ninken would only dare accept such attention from the Inuzuka family and her. "I'm surprised at you. You're actually late for once."

Hinata squeaked and turned her head down so she could focus heavily on Akamaru while avoiding any eye-contact. Despite his outward smirk, inside he was seething. He knew why she was late and it was due to the return of a certain moron named Naruto. A few days ago, they ran into him which resulted into Hinata fainting when Naruto got too close to her..._twice. _During the three years of the absent dreamer, Kiba worked tirelessly on his secret and wanting it to come true but he felt he was knocked down to reality when he was busy fanning the overheated heiress. His three years of work faded away in one afternoon and his heart made sure he felt that pain of loss. Ever since Naruto was back, Hinata would secretly go out and check up on Naruto's progress of finding a new teammate. All of team eight had to refuse because of an upcoming mission and the training leading up to it. This was the fourth day of that training and Hinata had just finished her personal recon mission of her crush. "I'm sorry Kiba. It was i-important."

He jumped down next to her with ease and stretched out his limbs in his leather jacket and netted shirt. He crushed down his feelings of jealousy and held his hand out to her, out of reflex of the many years of their routine. It took her a second but eventually she realized what he wanted. She stood up and reached into her pockets but her body froze when they grabbed nothing. Not wanting Kiba to stand there for too long she started to frantically search for the elusive band she always carried.

"Hinata, did you lose it?"

She finally stopped trying to go through her pockets that she had already checked twice and bowed down in apology. "I'm sorry! It seems I have m-misplaced it. I swear it w-was here earlier."

Kiba patted her head in his gesture of calming her down. He forgave her easily but only because he was hiding the fact he was estatic that the hideous orange band was gone for good. "It's okay Hina! We don't need it."

It was a rare face but that just made him love it all the more when she pouted at him. "You m-might not need it but I d-do."

Kiba laughed at her and that just made her lower lip come out even further than before. He reached into his pocket and grabbed onto the item he was searching for. He had thought of Hinata when he saw it but never found a good way to give it to her without revealing his secret to her. He was glad for the opportunity that presented itself but made sure to keep it casual, like he always does. "Trust me you don't need it because I have something better."

It wasn't a lie either. The red elastic ribbon he showed to her was simple but purposeful for her dilemma. It certainly looked a lot better than the orange band that was about to snap any moment. The fact that it was a ribbon meant it would last longer and would work better with her long hair that came to her waist. She smiled at him gratefully and he couldn't help his heart picking up speed when her eyes focused on him and nothing else. This was his favorite part of their routine. She would stare at him even though her embarrassment would make her blush and he loved looking at those pupil-less eyes of fluorescent pearls that showed every bit of emotion she felt. It was the best part but also the most gut wrenching. When she blushed at him getting closer to her, he knew the blush wasn't because she liked him but because he was a male, which she had very little experience with. She was a lot more comfortable with him now than when they were Genin which was why she could say his name with such familiarity and why her blush wouldn't overtake her whole face but just dusted nicely along her cheeks and the tips of her ears. It hurt that she couldn't feel like he did. It hurt that she could only see Naruto after years of his absence but then again who wouldn't want a person to love them even if they weren't around? He would give anything for that type of loyalty.

"Kiba? Are you o-okay?"

He had been so focused on her eyes and her blushes that he had been standing there with the ribbon in hand, not moving a muscle. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and put the ribbon between his front teeth. He reached around her shoulders and gathered up her hair in his hands, forming a ponytail while keeping two long strands loose to frame her face. He knew that hair so well that it didn't take long to know a good tightness that would hold without hurting. He knew that but still took his time so as to savor the closeness he had with her. Hinata could do it by herself but this was so common for them that whenever they were alone together, he would be the one to do it for her. It's not like she complained and he sure wasn't going to, so there was no harm. He couldn't stall much longer and finally tied the ribbon around her hair and stepped back to make sure it looked right. It definitely looked perfect. She may not be wearing any red but with her constant blushes, it didn't look out of place. He wasn't surprised of course since he always figured she would look great in red. He may be a little biased considering the red ribbon matched the color of his tribal tattoos on his cheeks.

"Thank you Kiba. You did amazing a-as always."

"Well it helps when it's you with such gifted hair. Besides, red looks good on you." Whoops. He definitely didn't mean to say that out loud.

Hinata lifted a hand up and delicately fingered the ribbon so as not to make it come loose. Her smile grew wider and her blush was brighter when she agreed. "I think red is a g-good color for me too."

He didn't what it was but something felt different about the way she said that. The way she looked seemed different too and before he knew it, his heart was pumping so much that it made his ears feel like they were stuffed with cotton. He reached out and caressed her cheek with his thumb. He never dared crossed this line before but there was this fear that Naruto would somehow show up and agree that red looked good on her and would take her away from him. He felt that fear a few days ago that miraculously Naruto would grow a brain and see the woman that would do just about anything for him. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Hinata, I want to be with you. Why can't you see me like you see Naruto?" And just like that, Kiba's secret came out.

**...……………...……………...**

When they reached young adulthood, their lives had thoroughly changed. That day when he confessed, Hinata had run off and didn't come back until Shino and Kurenai were there. Kiba decided it was best to follow her lead and they both pretended nothing had happened. They acted like normal and despite the certain days he would get irritated at her crush antics and get close to her to make her remember he existed, everything moved along like always. Eventually they saw less and less of each other and their routine had been completely forgotten. In fact, he noticed she seemed to always wear her hair down, even during training, which made that sting in his heart increase. He thought there could be no greater pain than that but Kiba was proven wrong when he found out about Hinata had almost died for Naruto and confessed to him in the process. It was a blur for him but Shino helped him by giving a play-by-play about when he exploded at Hinata in the medical tent. Apparently, he was beyond relieved that she was alive and okay but soon it was replaced by rage as Kiba yelled at her for a good ten minutes about the value she had and why people would need her. He really wanted to smack Shino for having a good memory but stopped when his best friend told him that despite his angry rant to the injured party, Hinata had been smiling the whole time as if she had just awoken to something important. Shino didn't help clarify on what he meant but it was forgotten as they were still in the middle of the biggest war of all the nations. When the war finally ended and peace was starting to form, Kiba had heard about Naruto not responding to Hinata's confession. Over two years went by and Naruto never even tried to talk to her about it. He knew what it felt like when the person you cared about doesn't think about the confession and how much courage it took. He knew that she most likely felt lost and upset, like maybe she did something wrong. Kiba was on his way to beat Naruto into explaining his actions when the issue with Toneri came up. It was bad enough that he had one rival but for another person to try and take her, it was unbearable. It was doubly unbearable when he had to accept that Naruto was the one who needed to save her; that Kiba needed to take a back seat and let Naruto realize what even an alien from the moon could even see. Last he heard was that Naruto saved her like a knight in shining armor and Hinata his princess.

It had finally settled around town that the moon was no longer trying to kill them all and that things were progressively getting better. Kiba couldn't help himself and his body had led him to his old training grounds. He grabbed his fur lined jacket with his black fingerless gloves and tried to pull it in closer after a sudden chill ran down his spine. He sighed as he rubbed his light stubble on his chin. "Maybe I should grow it out. It might keep me warm." He chuckled at himself and kept walking the familiar worn down path of team eight training grounds. He froze when a small wind picked up and carried the scent of something he had ingrained into his memory. Tea and lavender that instantly calmed the beast inside that screamed, wanting to be angry at that scent after everything it put him through. How could he though? He loved that scent and who it was attached to more than anything. He started walking again and gulped at the sight before him. He had seen Hinata around town before but actually seeing her up close after so long made him swallow hard. To say she was gorgeous was an understatement. If possible, her hair was even longer than before and reached close to her hips and it framed her whole body. She no longer wore that awful baggy jacket and instead showed off her womanly body with a vertical striped shirt that zipped up the middle. She had a waist pouch that helped show her hourglass figure and shorts that made her legs look longer than he remembered. Once he finally tore his eyes away from her body and up to her face, he saw her gently clench in her fist a red ribbon by her chin. Her eyes had never looked so clear and bright before and the blush that dusted her cheeks matched that ribbon beautifully.

"Kiba, I'm so glad you're here."

He cleared his throat and hoped he sounded like any uncaring guy. "Oh? Wanted to invite me in person instead?"

"Invite you...?"

He laughed, or at least tried to but it came out as more of a scoff. "You know, to the wedding you and Naruto will be having. I'm assuming it's soon."

She blushed even harder at his words and that just made him so angry that he couldn't see anything but red. Her red cheeks. Her red ribbon...her red-rimmed eyes that showed she had been crying for awhile.

"Kiba, please; that's not what I'm here for. I'm here for you."

He ruffled up his hair in frustration. He wanted to yell but with all the years he had taken care of her, his instincts took over and he just had to know why she was crying. "Fine, I'll bite. What do you want?"

"N-Naruto and I aren't together. He helped save me because it's what he does but we both knew that we didn't feel that way about each other. Everyone else just created rumors as they pleased. They don't know what I really feel."

"Is that why you were crying?"

Her eyes widened in shock but quickly went to normal as she smiled softly at him. "You always knew me so well."

"That's what happens when you watch someone for years."

That's when guilt flashed across her features and her grip on the ribbon grew tighter. "I'm so sorry Kiba. I really am."

She was apologizing that she couldn't love him back. That she couldn't even be with Naruto let alone someone lesser than the future Hokage. Kiba gritted his teeth and was about to run off but Hinata did something he hadn't seen in years. She held her hand out to him and the ribbon lay there waiting. He was confused. Didn't she just reject him and crush his heart into dust?

"I'm so sorry I took so long to reply but please, won't you let me?"

She was apologizing for waiting so long and now she wanted him to do their routine like it was the most natural thing and reply to his confession from years ago. His heart tripled up in speed and he was afraid he had actually died and was in heaven. She wouldn't offer something like this without the reply being in his favor, right? Why would she want him so close only to reject him at a different range. He was afraid his legs were liquid but he pushed through and walked to her so he could grab the ribbon. It was still in good condition and that made his heart soar. He bit down on the ribbon with his front teeth and moved his arms around her shoulders. He grabbed her hair and formed the ponytail with shaky hands. Her hair was definitely longer and this time he didn't leave any strands to fall into her face. He wanted her features all open so he wouldn't miss a thing. No sooner had he tied the ribbon into place that Hinata grabbed onto his upper arms and stood on her toes so she could kiss Kiba with all the passion that she had. He wasted no time in cradling her face with his hands and kissed back with the years' worth of pent up emotions of fear, desperation, and love. He had to pull back though because he needed to hear it, to make sure all five of his senses were being used so he could confirm that this wasn't a dream.

"Are you aware of what you're saying? To who you are saying it to?" Hinata was still dazed from the powerful kiss they just shared and it took him nipping the tip of her nose to get her back to reality. "Hina, please, tell me how you feel."

She reached up to grip her hands into his hair and made him bend his head down enough so she could press their foreheads together. "I love you, Kiba. I love you."

It wasn't as graceful as the first kiss but it was just as emotional. He smashed their lips together in a heated frenzy and pushed her back so she was against a tree. All his senses heightened after she had uttered the phrase he could only fantasize about and everything they were doing turned electric. The touches and moans between them made everything fade away, all the years of pining and yearning lead to this moment. It ended all too soon for Kiba when she pulled her head back to breathe.

"K-Kiba. I-I need to hear...it too."

Kiba growled at that and rubbed their noses together to remind him that the woman of his dreams was right there for him. He knew that Hinata still had some insecurities and maybe she thought that he had moved on after everything that transpired between them. He couldn't blame her on that because Kiba did try to move on many times but in the end, he could only think of Hinata. His Hinata.

"I love you too, my Hina. I always will."

Hinata would've sighed with relief if not for the fact Kiba took it away by seeing his opportunity for a kiss. It was perfect to him. Her mouth parted slightly when she tried to sigh and he couldn't ignore the desire that burned within his lower stomach. He needed all five of senses to be filled with her and if she smelled so good, he wondered what her taste was. When she didn't resist, he finally found out that her taste was dangerous. Her smell calmed Kiba but damn, her taste made his yearnings increase in a nanosecond. He would love nothing more than to take her right there; to show everyone who she actually belonged to but she was more precious than anything else. He wouldn't do something like that unless she felt it too. He reluctantly pulled away but was rewarded for his efforts when he saw what kind of affect he had on her. Her breath came out in tiny pants and her face was fully flustered which made him revel in the fact that only he was allowed to do that to her from now on.

"Hina, won't you be with me from now on and forever?"

Hinata crushed him into a hug and whispered softly in his ear, "Of course. Always and forever."

And there it was; their unbreakabke bond that was elastic to the core. Even if it sometimes stretched and looked about ready to snap, it would always go back to how it was and could only change after time just for their love to grow bigger.

**_Wow! I just couldn't help myself on this one! They are my top couple out of all the anime that I watch. Even my phone wallpaper has them on it. Anyways, I hope this little one-shot could help anyone in need of support for this couple. If you want to thank me, go write a KibaHina story right now! ShibaOokami out!_**


End file.
